Name: Sweet Lemon Ricotta Fritters
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 16 min
Yield: makes 24 fritters
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 40 g sugar (1.4 oz); 225 g ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (8 oz); 2 eggs; 1/2 tsp vanilla essence or vanilla seeds; 90 g all-purpose flour (¾ cup or 3.2 oz); 1 tsp baking powder; 25 g melted butter (0.9 oz); 1 tsp lemon zest (bio lemons); vegetable oil (for frying); 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar (for dusting)

Sweet Lemon Ricotta Fritters

Sweet Lemon Ricotta Fritters are so good and surprisingly light as well. Here in Slovenia Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday is kind of a big thing. Over the world, you might be more familiar with Mardi Gras, which is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of New Orleans (along with beignets, jazz and French Quarter) or the big spectacle Carnival in Brasil and in Venice, Italy too. Each year the number of doughnuts made at home is rising, but still, doughnuts tend to be a bit much for beginners or some feel they take too long to make (even though they are so worth it, so we definitely encourage you to make some). These Sweet Lemon Ricotta Fritters, on the other hand, are super quick to make, I am talking 16 minutes you guys, that's incredibly quick. You only need basic skills for this recipe and you don't even need an electric appliance of any sort. These are a great, easy substitute for doughnuts when you still want to make something tasty for Fat Tuesday, but you lack time and energy. The exterior is beautifully, evenly golden brown and crunchy and the interior is light and fluffy. The combination of ricotta and lemon is making the fritters rich, yet fresh, light and not overly sweet. Perfectly balanced fried goodness that doesn't take a lot of time or effort.

How to make Sweet Lemon Ricotta Fritters

These sweet fritters are incredibly easy and quick to make and they are a great substitute for the traditional doughnut when celebrating Mardi Gras or Carnival season. Let's take a look at what you will need:

Sugar - Use granulated white sugar in this recipe. The fritters aren't overly sweet, but they still need a bit of sugar to make them extra delicious.

Ricotta cheese - Makes them rich, yet light. Always use whole milk ricotta cheese, it's the best. A good substitute would be cottage cheese.

Eggs - Keep the fritters together.

Vanilla - Highly recommend using vanilla, because it's the best, however, if you don't currently have it at home, it's okay, you can leave it out.

Lemon - Makes all the difference. These fritters need a bit of freshness and lemon gives them life. Always use bio lemon zest (unwaxed lemons)

Flour - All-purpose flour, plain flour or type 00 flour will work great in this recipe.

Butter - Always add cool melted butter to the egg mixture. You can substitute with coconut oil (just don't use vegetable oil)

Oil - Use any frying oil you like, like canola or sunflower oil.

Storing and Freezing

You can make the sweet lemon ricotta fritters batter a few days in advance. Keep the batter chilled in the fridge in a covered bowl or airtight container for up to three days. Or you can shape the fritters, place them on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze them. When they are completely frozen, transfer to a freezer bag (that will take much less space in the freezer) and freeze for up to a month. You can fry the frozen fritters, but instead of frying them for 5-6 minutes, you will need to fry them for about 10 minutes.

You might want to try these Fat Tuesday treats as well

METHOD

combine ingredients

In a bowl combine sugar, ricotta (or cottage cheese), eggs and vanilla essence or vanilla seeds. Combine well using a whisk. In a separate clean bowl combine all-purpose flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
fritters batter

Add the melted butter (cool) and lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. Stir to combine. Incorporate the dry ingredients (flour mixture) and stir well to get a nice batter.
fry the fritters

In a large frying pan, heat about 5 cm / 2 inches of vegetable oil to 175 °C / 350 °F. Working in batches, drop a tablespoon of batter into hot oil (use two tablespoons to slide the batter into the oil). Fry until golden brown all over and cooked through, for about 5 - 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to a plate covered with paper towels to drain any excess fat. Continue frying the remaining batter.
serve

Dust the sweet lemon ricotta fritters with confectioner's sugar and serve, they are best eaten immediately.